The 40th Annual Kirkstall Festival
Kirkstall Festival is an annual get together led by volunteers which is the largest community festival in Leeds. It attracts around 25,000 people every year and it takes place in the picturesque grounds of Kirkstall Abbey. It was overwhelming at how many people were in the festival, roaming around the stalls set up by different charities, taking part in different activities such as horse riding, thrilling rides, and enjoying various performances from all over the county within the Abbey's 8 performance areas. There really was something for everyone!
I went with my friend Benita and the first thing we got involved in was exploring the lane of stalls by charities. It was a great chance to know more about the range of charities within the area and also to support them through participating in their raffle draws and donating. Next, we hunted down some food and we laid our eyes on Brown's Kitchen - serving Caribbean food. I admit I am not particularly familiar with Caribbean food so I was very excited. We had Jerk Chicken with dumplings and salad and I enjoyed every single bite! I mean look at it...
We then went on to check out some of the performances available. I have to say my favourite was The Otley Ukulele Orchestra. The teamwork, energy and passion of every member was infectious. I loved the songs that they played, not to mention the stunning voice of the leader of the group - I honestly could listen to them all day! I do have to mention the performances and the real representation of a Viking village many, many years ago by the group Ormsheim Vikings. It really felt like we were in a different world, a bit like colliding history and the future. The representation was just amazing and it was interesting to see and learn about the Viking lifestyle from some of the members of the group.
Finally, we decided to go and treat ourselves into one of the rides (No, we're not kids. Yes, we're both in our 20's). After an intense discussion, we agreed to go on a ride called Twister. It was so much fun and I honestly don't know how I didn't crush Benita because I was getting pulled towards her so much. I was desperately hanging on for dear life because it was going so fast and I wasn't entirely sure how safe it was but for the sake of adventure, we didn't dwell on that too much! Afterwards, whilst I was trying to regain my body functions after being physically shaken in a circular motion (x 50), we went for ice cream. I mean you can see how my hair is standing up and all messed up, no regrets though!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my day and if I could, I would go back to the next one.